The Maze of Violence (Il Labirinto di Roma Violenta)

This obscure lost soundtrack for an even more obscure (and also lost and never finished) ''Italia violenta'' cop movie was recently discovered when I bought the dusty reel tapes from a restaurant owner in Fiumicino, a seaside town near Rome. ''Panter 777'' aka ''Il Labirinto di Roma Violenta'' aka ''The Maze of Violence'', he told me, was directed by Gervasio Giardano in 1981 and was considered too (politically) explicit by the movie production company who dropped the project after the first screening. The soundtrack, an explosion of wahwah funk riffs and juicy analog synthesizers, was composed by an obscure band called Nacho Patrol. The restaurant owner, who wishes to remain anonymous, was one of the band members and composed most of the tracks. (Danny Wolfers)